Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten

13 reviews

reclusivebookslug's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

What I liked:

• Provided an overall fun reading experience; helped get me out of a reading slump
• Great set-up, especially with the religion that's built up around the magical elements
• Themes about the power of choice and autonomy

What I didn't like:

• Feels like a book that wants to stand on its own but still ends up requiring reading more of the series to feel complete or meaningful (part assumption, as I haven't read the rest of the series yet)
• Romance felt pretty generic
• World-building became a bit difficult to understand and it's thematic resonance was unclear; overall, didn't quite stick the landing

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Emotional abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, and Death of parent

Sacrificial blood-giving has magical abilities and use of magic can alter characters appearances to make them more inhuman.

Otherwise what you'd expect with a dark fantasy and what is implied in the blurb.

charliesmom's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Cursing and Physical abuse

tifftastic87's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

First off, this book needs content warnings (I know they're below but they need to be here too).
⚠️  Self-harm (cutting)

When presented with her destiny as a human sacrifice, Redarys appears to take it on the chin. Really she's hiding from magic that wants to consume her. Eammon, the Wolf, is Warden of the Wilderwood where Red is destined for. But the Wilderwood is dying and Eammon is determined to save and Red and he is not accepting applications for assistants. 

Supposedly, this is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but I fail to see it. The only similarities is a curse that makes the town think a man is a monster and love breaking that curse. The two main characters are both stubborn martyrs and that is where most of the conflict comes from. If they could be honest and communicate from the beginning things would have been better. But the main story is politics and religion.

The actual plot of the story, which is shadowed a bit by the romance plot, is one of religious fanaticism that is actually really well done. There's a dark versus light magic trope used where the religious use the dark magic and are out for power. The damn athiests only wantinf peace, love, and healthy trees. 

That being said, the magic system was a little confusing. Its clear that is blood magic but it reacts different in different settings and different people. It isnt predictable unless it is. I would have liked to have seen this worked out a bit better. 

Oh ya and the age gap, centuries to 20 years.... 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Eating disorder, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Murder

margaret_k30's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault and Abandonment

Minor: Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Kidnapping

this book has very strong themes for self harm, cutting, suicide, and parallels to drug abuse or alcoholism. Lots of mentions of knives and blood and descriptions of injuries.

kaycie51782's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This is book 1 of a series. I won't be reading book 2. 

Are you familiar with the advice when writing narrative fiction "Show, don't tell"? This author from that advice VERY SERIOUSLY. There wasn't a passage in this decently lengthy book that wasn't overflowing with vivid imagery. It was exhausting to read.

The main characters glorified self harm in defense and protection of the magic in the story. It got a little sickening by the end. There were ridiculously overused phrases ("she pressed her lips into a bloodless line", "she curled her fingers until crescents were pressed into her palms", and on and on and on).

The mythology of the universe was never well explained. The author took far too long to tell any kind of back story, but continued to pour more and more foreshadowing and blocked memories until I didn't really care what happened.

Sometimes it's okay to say "This event made her mad" instead of "The scene playing before her caused her vision to redden" or something similar.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing

saurahsaurus's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Self harm, Blood, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship

ldermer's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Suicide and Alcohol

bookwormamy's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Confinement, Sexual content, and Kidnapping

aishablue's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Self harm, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

cjxx26's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Kidnapping